Yellowstone star Cole Hauser revealed the secret to his horse-riding skills as cowboy Rip Wheeler, saying, “it’s all about saddle time.”
After watching Yellowstone, you would think that all the actresses and actors are professional cowboys, and while some are, others had to go through rigorous training to get where they are now.
Not New, Just a Little Rusty
Cole Hauser, the actor who plays the beloved Rip Wheeler, spoke to HALL wines, Kathryn Hall, about the work put in to make Yellowstone so authentic. Although Hauser notes he has been on the back of a horse before, it was nowhere near how good of a cowboy he is now.
“I would say I was, you know, an average rider at first. I mean, I had ridden as a child a lot, up in Oregon, where I grew up for a while on a ranch there. And then really got away from it. And then, you know, if you go to Hawaii or you go to Jamaica or whatever, you jump on a horse, and you go on trails, you know if you are on vacation. But I’ve always been really into horseback riding, and when I got the job, Taylor Sheridan, the creator and writer, and John Linson, who’s the creator as well, they’re big horse guys.”
Cole Hauser Does it All… and By Himself
Cole Hauser continues, revealing his dream for his cowboying skills during the series. Furthermore, Hauser acquainted himself with just about every aspect a real-life cowboy would come into contact with on the job. Does Cole Hauser look convincing to you?
“So, one of the things I wanted to do is not have stunt guys do anything for me,” explains Hauser. “I took a crash course of learning all the different disciplines, whether that roping, cutting, you know, just being able to work a ranch, do anything. Get it on. Get it off. Putting on the saddle, bit, the whole thing, and you know, I’ve been learning throughout the last four years, and I’m still learning. Everything’s about saddle time. It’s just like racing a car or doing anything that takes a lot of thought; it’s just something you’ve got to do all the time. So, when I get up there in Montana, I’m constantly on a horse, so I love it.”
Cole Hauser also gives some words of wisdom that go past just the Yellowstone series.
“You can’t be great at anything unless you work at it, and that’s the same with riding a horse.”
Practice makes perfect, and boy, you have us convinced, Cole. You would have thought he grew up in a darn bunkhouse.
As for season four of Yellowstone, we will have to see what the attacks do to Rip Wheeler’s character. Will the attempts destroy him and his future wife, or is the series gearing us up for a Wheeler warpath that will cut down anyone who gets in the way of his revenge?